Chapter 18
A/N Surprise and decisions
I didn't want to make y'all wait any longer to find out what happens with Benjamin. This is a very pivotal chapter. Hope y'all enjoy this please review.
"Benjamin, what is wrong? Is it something with your family?" she asked full of concern.
He walked over to the cough sitting down with a thud. Reaching into his pocket he handed her the letter.
She unfolded it and started reading, Department of Defense, Benjamin Allen Adams you are here by drafted into the Armed Forces of the United States. Her heart stopped beating and the letter fell to the floor as she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. They sat holding each other for the longest time neither wanted to break their closeness or release the other. Benjamin laid back against the couch arm pulling her on top of him holding her tight to his chest. He could feel her heart thumping wildly in her chest, matching his own.
What are we going to do he thought. Where does this leave us and the wedding? How can I go off to war and leave her.
How can he leave me? What do we do now she thought?
He pushed her back so he could look into her face. Her tears were still running down her face. He could see the fear in her face. "Sweetheart, we will get through this and figure it out. Don't worry everything will be ok." he said trying to convince her or him he wasn't sure.
The next day they went out to the farm to tell her family. Eric had a heart murmur diagnosed as a baby so it was never a fear for them of him getting drafted. Benjamin going was not something any of them had thought about.
"What are you going to do?" Joe asked him.
"Well I guess I need to go home for a few days and talk to my parents, then according to the letter I report to Parris Island South Carolina in eight weeks," he said.
"Is there any way you can get out of going?" Ellen asked.
"I am not going to run away to avoid this, I will meet it head on and see what happens," he said.
Suzanne was barely holding her emotions in and seeing the tears in her Mom's eyes were her undoing. She launched herself into her Dad. He held her tight rubbing his hands up and down her back. Her tears were breaking his heart and he was trying his best to soothe her.
Benjamin walked into the study to call and get them some plane tickets. He didn't want to hold off telling his parents.
Flights secured, he walked back in and joined them. He said, "I have made reservations to fly out at tomorrow and fly back the day after. Suzanne we should go pack and try and get some sleep. We will come back out over the weekend."
The flight the next day was a difficult one to board knowing his Mom would be devastated when he broke the news to her.
Emma greeted them and wondered why they were there. Benjamin told her he needed to talk to her and his Dad. William would be home in about an hour. They went up and put their bags in his room. Usually they would not share a room, but since the engagement things like that had changed.
Dinner was served and they were all sitting around the table. Emma observed the kids pushing their food around their plates and not eating.
"Okay, kids, what is going on? Emma asked.
Benjamin cleared his throat and said, "I have been drafted. I will report in eight weeks to Parris Island in South Carolina."
Emma's breath caught in her throat and William dropped his head. They both had not considered this to be a possibility and the news was devastating.
Benjamin walked over and gathered his Mom in his arms. He knew this news was hard for her to take. Her baby is going off to war. Hell it was hard for him to take. He held her until her tears and sobbing stopped.
William had gotten up from his chair. He walked over to the side bar and fixed them all a stiff drink he knew they would be needing. He walked over and handed one to Suzanne and placed his arm around her. She lowered her head to his shoulder and enjoyed the feel of him comforting her.
Emma leaned back from her son to look him in the eyes, she gently placed her hand on his cheek. "You are my baby and I don't want you to go off to war."
He shook his head knowing this is how she felt. William walked over and pulled his son into his embrace. He might truly be Emma's baby boy, but he was his son too. "Son, what do you want to do?" he asked him.
"What do you mean Dad?" Benjamin asked with a questioning look on his face.
"You know there are ways to prevent this, I am willing to help you," William told him.
"Dad, I don't want to go anymore than anyone else wants me to. I can not just not go and I will not go to Canada to avoid this. It is my patriotic duty to do this," he said.
William shook his head understanding his son's feelings. He felt pretty much the same way when he enlisted after Pearl Harbor.
The day was starting to catch up with Benjamin and Suzanne. They hugged his parents good night and walked up to his room.
"I am going to go grab a shower," he told her.
The situation was starting to overwhelm her, she crawled under the covers and rolled herself into a ball. As hard as she tried, she could not stop her tears. The thought of him leaving for an unknown time or even worse had her sobbing uncontrollably.
Benjamin stepped out of the shower and walked into the bedroom. He glanced at the bed and saw her rolled up in a ball. His heart dropped when he walked closer and heard her crying. He suspected she was wound up and it would take him a while to calm her, but he would do anything to do just that.
He walked over to her side of the bed and pulled the covers back. He sat down and lifted her into his lap. He ran his hand up and down her back trying to calm her tears. He placed a kiss on her forehead and rocked her back and forth in his arms.
Her tears were stopping, but her hurting heart was beating so hard it was pounding in her head. He was holding her tightly and she was shaking in his arms. She could not control her tears and it was breaking his heart.
"Sweetheart, please stop crying, it is going to make you sick and we don't want that," he said, holding her tightly.
"What am I going to do without you? We are supposed to get married and start our life together. What are we going to do now?" she asked through her tears.
"We can still get married, I suspect your Mom and mine have already gotten everything worked out. We may just have to do it on a smaller scale and sooner than we anticipated. I am not going anywhere until you are my wife," he told her.
She buried her head in his shoulder as he continued to rock and soothe her. Eventually her tears dried and her breathing evened out. He peeked down at her and she had finally fallen asleep. He eased out from under her and pulled the covers up over her.
He quietly left the room pulling the door closed behind him. He walked out to the living room and out on the balcony. The New York skylight usually brought a smile and joy to him, but not tonight. He heard the door slide open and looked back to see his Dad walk out.
He had two glasses of scotch in his hands and handed one to Benjamin. He took a slow sip and continued to gaze out at the night lights.
"Son, are you sure you want to do this? If something happens to you it will kill your Mom and I. It will wreck Suzanne and devastate her," William asked.
"Dad, I don't want to go to war anymore than anyone else does. I just can not run from this or let you use your influence to get me out of it. What would that say about my character? You know that I am a stand up man and my good name which is yours by the way means everything to me. I can not taint it," Benjamin said.
They both turned back towards the railing and sipped on their drinks. William saw and heard the determination in his son and was extremely proud of him for standing up for his values.
"I want to marry Suzanne before I go, so I hope Mom and Ellen have worked out all the details," he laughed.
"I am sure they have every detail planned and have started putting them in place," William laughed too.
The next morning Suzanne woke up wrapped in Benjamin's arms. Her head resting on his chest. She could feel his steady heartbeat and it soothed her to feel it.
She was thinking that in a few weeks he would not be there for her to feel it. She slowly moved from his arms and wrapped herself in her robe. She had a terrible headache from crying the night before and needed caffeine to help offset it.
Walking into the kitchen she saw Emma lost in thought staring into her coffee cup. She cleared her throat as she walked in, not wanting to startle her.
She poured her cup and sat down at the table with her.
Both were lost in their thoughts and did not want to disturb the other. William walked in dressed for work and observed both women with far away looks on their faces.
He walked over and kissed his wife on the cheek and reached out and gave Suzanne's shoulder a squeeze. This brought them both out of their thoughts and they looked up at him with half hearted smiles.
"I know this is tough on both of you, it is killing me too, but we need to support Benjamin in his decision. It will be hard on us all to see him go off to war. We need to make sure the next few weeks go by without him also feeling your fears too," William told them both.
They both shook their heads in agreement. Emma rose, put a smile on her face and started cooking breakfast.
Benjamin had not been sleeping since he got the letter and Suzanne did not want to disturb him. She quietly got a change of clothes and used the shower in the spare room to get ready for the day. Their flight was not leaving until late so she wanted him to rest as much as he could.
She found Emma and asked her if she needed any help for the day?
"Yes, we need to get your Mom on the phone and start making wedding plans. Benjamin told his Dad he would not leave unless he made you his wife. We have a lot to plan in a short amount of time," Emma told her with a grin on her face.
Suzanne, like Benjamin, suspected that the Moms had already started planning as soon as Benjamin told them his plans. Her suspicions were confirmed once her mother was on the phone with them.
It was close to noon when Benjamin sleepily walked into the kitchen. He could not figure out what two of his favorite women were up to. There were stacks of papers and lists everywhere and three phone books opened. Suzanne was propped up in a chair with the phone to her ear.
He stood leaning on the door jam smiling. Both of them had smiles on their faces and when Suzanne hung up the phone she jumped up and hugged Emma.
"We have success, the church is available and my Grandpop has agreed to marry us," she told her with tears in her eyes.
They were both hugging and jumping up and down and didn't notice him in the doorway. He walked over and timed it so he pulled both of them into a hug.
It startled them both, but they just kept laughing and hugging.
"What have two of my favorite girls been up to while I was sleeping?" he asked.
Suzanne ducked her head and sheepishly said, "Wedding planning."
He smiled and pulled her in for a kiss. Soon the kiss was getting carried away, forgetting his Mom was in the room. She laughed and walked away from them.
This pulled them apart and they stood holding each other smiling.
Benjamin and Suzanne flew back home. Thanks to a lot of phone calls and some friends and both Dads pulling in some favors, the wedding was set for 5 weeks.
Benjamin and Suzanne went to City Hall to apply for their marriage license and to her Dr to get their blood tests done.
With clear blood tests and a marriage license in hand, they walked out of the courthouse. The wedding was the next weekend and there were a few loose ends to tie up.
Suzanne wanted to get Benjamin a ring, but had no idea how to go about picking one out so on Tuesday morning she and her Dad set off for town.
The jewelry store was so daunting for her and she had no idea what kind of ring she wanted. The jeweler asked her some questions about Benjamin's taste in jewelry. He never wore any except a watch and a cross around his neck.
He brought out several rings and Suzanne found the most perfect one. The design was similar to the etchings in her ring and she knew it was the one. Her Dad agreed and they walked out with his ring.
Friday was the rehearsal dinner and their favorite restaurant was the location.
Everyone was having a wonderful time, even with the underlying dread of Benjamin leaving for war. Suzanne was smiling from ear to ear and was so looking forward to tomorrow.